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DMCS 2223 Mechanics and Fluids Properties

Fluids

3.0 Properties of Fluids


The properties outlines below are general properties of fluids which are of interest in engineering. The symbol usually used to represent the property is specified together with some typical values in SI units for common fluids. Values under specific conditions (temperature, pressure etc.) can be readily found in many reference books. The dimensions of each unit is also give in the MLT system (see later in the section on dimensional analysis for more details about dimensions.) 3.1 Density The density of a substance is the quantity of matter contained in a unit volume of the substance. It can be expressed in three different ways. 3.1.1 Mass Density Mass Density, , is defined as the mass of substance per unit volume. Units: Kilograms per cubic metre, kg / m3 (or kgm3 ) Dimensions: ML3 Typical values: Water = 1000 kgm3 , Mercury = 13546 kgm3 Air = 1.23 kgm3 , Paraffin Oil = 800 kgm3 . (at pressure =1.013 105 N m2 and Temperature = 288.15 K.) 3.1.2 Specific Weight Specific Weight , (sometimes , and sometimes known as specific gravity) is defined as the weight per unit volume. or The force exerted by gravity, g, upon a unit volume of the substance. The Relationship between g and can be determined by Newtons 2nd Law, since weight per unit volume = mass per unit volume g = g Units: Newtons per cubic metre, N / m3 (or N m3 ) Dimensions: ML2T 2 . Typical values: Water =9814 N m3 , Mercury = 132943 N m3 , Air =12.07 N m3 , Paraffin Oil =7851 N m3

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DMCS 2223 Mechanics and Fluids Properties

Fluids

3.1.3 Relative Density Relative Density, , is defined as the ratio of mass density of a substance to some standard mass density. For solids and liquids this standard mass density is the maximum mass density for water (which occurs at 4 c) at atmospheric pressure.

Units: None, since a ratio is a pure number. Dimensions: 1. Typical values: Water = 1, Mercury = 13.5, Paraffin Oil =0.8. 3.1.4 Viscosity Viscosity, , is the property of a fluid, due to cohesion and interaction between molecules, which offers resistance to sheer deformation. Different fluids deform at different rates under the same shear stress. Fluid with a high viscosity such as syrup, deforms more slowly than fluid with a low viscosity such as water. All fluids are viscous, Newtonian Fluids obey the linear relationship given by Newtons law of viscosity. = du/dy , which we saw earlier. where is the shear stress, Units N m2 ; kg m1s2 Dimensions ML1T 2 . du/dy is the velocity gradient or rate of shear strain, and has Units: radians s1 ,Dimensions t 1 is the coefficient of dynamic viscosity - see below. 3.1.5 Coefficient of Dynamic Viscosity The Coefficient of Dynamic Viscosity, , is defined as the shear force, per unit area, (or shear stress ),required to drag one layer of fluid with unit velocity past another layer a unit distance away. Force Area Velocity Distance Force Time Area Mass Length Area Units: Newton seconds per square metre, N sm2 or Kilograms per meter per second, kgm1 s1 .
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DMCS 2223 Mechanics and Fluids Properties

Fluids

(Although note that is often expressed in Poise, P, where 10 P = 1 kgm1 s1 .) Typical values: Water =1.14 103 kgm1 s1 , Air =1.78 105 kgm1 s1 , Mercury =1.552 kgm1 s1 , Paraffin Oil =1.9 kgm1 s1 . 3.1.6 Kinematic Viscosity Kinematic Viscosity, , is defined as the ratio of dynamic viscosity to mass density. Units: square metres per second, m2 s1 (Although note that is often expressed in Stokes, St, where 104 St = 1 m2 s1 .) Dimensions: L2T 1 . Typical values: Water =1.14 106 m2 s1 , Air =1.46 105 m2 s1 , Mercury =1.145 104 m2 s1 , Paraffin Oil =2.375 103 m2 s1 .nce viscosity increases.

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